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(Nomodel.)

J. A. TAKABERRY.

` v DOOR MOVEMENT EUR STREET GARS. No. 542,069. Patented July '2, 1895.

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DOOR--lVlOVElVI ENT FOR STREET-CARS.

l l SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 542,069, dated July 2, 1895.

Application tiled February 15, 1893. Serial No. 462,463. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. TACKABERRY,

^ a citizen of the United States, residing in New York cit-v, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door-Movements for Street-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for connecting doors which slide to and from each other to close or open the door-opening; and my in -vention consists in constructing the connecting devices between the doors,as fully set forth hereinafter, so as to maintain them taut and prevent jerks or jolting in opening the doors, and to especially adapt the improvement to street-cars and for other purposes, as fully set forth hereinafter, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a transverse sectional elevation of a Streetcar, illustrating my improvements. Fig. 2 is a section o n the line 2, Fig. i. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan.

A is the body. 1

B B are the sliding doors at the end of the car, these parts being of any suitable form or construction and dimensions, and each of said doors is provided with a bracket C or C', supportinga roller 6, which runs upon atop track or rail 7 vabove the door-opening X, and with a bracket D for supporting a roller 8, that runs" upon a lower track 9, extending between the side of the said door-opening and the side of the car, whereby each door may be carried so as to close one-half of the door-opening or may be-moved outward to uncover or open the said half of the door-opening into a position back of the end wall of the car and parallel therewith. In order to obviate the difficulties incident to the opening only of a single one of the sliding doors, which frequently leads to jamming the passengers in passage fromthe car to the platform, I so connect the two doors that the movement of one, either to .open or close it, will impart a corresponding motion to the otherfand to this end I place two guide-pulleys 10 12 in suitable position io receive two flexible connections, as cables or chains 13 14., the lower inner end ofthe chain 13 being connected to the door B or the bracket C thereof at a point near the inner end thereof, as at x, and I extend said chain outward around the pulley 10 and connect its opposite end to a rod 16, which extends to a projection upon the door B. Preferably the said projection is in the form of an arm 15, extending upward from the bracket C of the door B. In like manner the chain 14E, clonnected at one end with the door B', passes around the pulley 12 and is connected to the end of the rod 18, attached to the door B, preferably by passing through an arm 19, extending upward from the bracket C. In order that the chains may be tightened and kept tant, I prefer to thread the end of each rod 16 1S, extended through the arm of the bracket andprovide it with a tighteninghut 2O and jam-nut 2l. While each chain may be connected in any suitable manner with the door, I prefer to provide each bracket with a hook to receive the terminal link of the chain, and the said hook may be a'screw-hook 4l, 'the threaded shank of which enters a socket 22 of the bracket attached to the door.

In order to prevent the movement of one rod or chain interfering with that of the other, which would bethe case if both the arms 15 19 were upon the same vertical plane, I set one of the arms-as, for instance, the arm 19* in a plane `nearer the center of the car than the plane of the arm 15, so that the rods` 16 18 will be parallel to each other but on different vertical planes, and I also for the same reason set one of the pulleys 12 atan angle, so that the rod 1S, connected to the chain 14., passing around said pulley, shall be in line with'the upper part of the periphery of the pulley, While the chain 14 (which, owing to the contracted space, must be directly above the top edge of the door) will be directly in line with the lower portion of the periphery. The strain upon all the parts will be in right lines. There will be no' tendency to twist or draw the chain or rod at an angle from any of the bearings and no tendency to draw upon either door except in a line parallel to the plane in which the door moves.

Vheneither door is forced outward, the other door will move simultaneously with it Without that preliminary jerk or shock which is apt to result in the use of ordinary connections between double slidingdoors because of the employment of upper rigid rods of the connecting members which donot sag and cause lost motion, which would be the case if the members were flexible throughout. Further, the use of said rods is very much less eX- peusive, especially in avoiding repairs, which are apt to result from the kinking of the chains when they extend along thepositions occupied by the rods.

By placing the parts above the upper edges of the doors, as above described, and by using two tracks, one above and the other beyond the side edge of the door, I am enabled tol economize room, make use of a door-opening of greater height, and to avoid placing the root` of the car above its normal position.

Vthile the pulleys 1012 may be supported in any suitable manner, I prefer to support them upon brackets 25 26, each adapted to be connected by screws to the side of the end top rail 27 of the car.

Without limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement of parts shown, I

claim as my invention- 1. In a railway car, the combination ot the sliding doors, the rails 7 above them, the rails 9, the wheels 6r mounted ou brackets C,.C attached to the upper part of said doors,- pulleys 10 and 12, chains 13 and 14, passing around said pulleys, and rods 16 and 18, connected to said chains, and both rods and chains being connected to `said brackets, substantially as described.

2. In a railway car, the combination of the sliding doors, the rails 7 above them,the rails 9, the wheels 6 mounted onbrackets C, C attached to the upper part of said doors, guide pulleys, chains 13 and 14 passing around said pulleys, and rods connected to said chains and extending to the brackets in different vertical planes, substantially as described.

3. In a railway car, the combination of the sliding doors, the rails 7 above them, the rails 9, brackets C, C attached to the upper part of said doors and provided with the arms 15 and 19 in different vertical planes, the Wheels 6, mounted on said brackets, pulleys 10 and 12, chains passing around said pulleys, and rods 16 and 18 connected to the arms of the brackets and to the chains, and said chains being also connected to said brackets, substantially as set forth.

4. In a railway car, the combination of the sliding doors, the rails 7 above them, the rails 9, the wheels 6 mounted on brackets C, C attached to the upper part of said doors, a ver tically arranged pulley 10 and a pulley 12, arranged atan angle to a vertical plane, chains 13 and 14 passing around said pulleys and being directly over the upper edges of the doors, and rods 16 and 18 connected to said chains, both said rods and. chains being connected to said brackets,substantially as shown and set forth.

`In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification. in the presence of two subscribing. witnesses.

JOHN A. TACKABERRY.

Witnesses:

PETER. MARTIN, WALLACE E. KNIFE. 

